Favorite Things

Phillip Phillips' Favorite Things

Phillip Phillips has come a long way from his "American Idol" days. He just released his second album Behind The Light, which features his latest single "Raging Fire."

On his new album, Phillip says, "It just has a little bit more of a rock edge to it. Nothing too crazy but, you know; and it’s a little more mature than the first album, and the music is more technical. I’m excited for people to hear that because it has cool guitar riffs and string parts and drum beats, and to me, it’s so much better than the first album. I hope people really enjoy it. And it sounds like a band record, which I really like."

Phillip stopped by the iHeartRadio headquarters when he was in New York City to talk about Behind The Light and let us in on the stuff he loves the most. Get to know him by discovering some of his Favorite Things below.

Favorite thing about Georgia?

It’s got a lot of woods to it and you can get away. And [it has] a lot of lakes and rivers, so that’s what I like about Georgia, a lot of nature.

Favorite adventurous thing you’ve done?

Does skydiving count? That was a lot of fun. First time I ever got on a plane, I skydived, I jumped out.

Were you scared?

I thought I would be, but I wasn’t. I had never been on a plane before and then I jumped out. So I always used to say I had flown but never landed. It was fun and I want to do it again, but everybody says I don’t need to. I was seventeen or eighteen. My brother, my cousin, actually it was his birthday present and he asked me; he said "will you go?" I said "ah, I might. You know, I’ll have to see." He asked some other people because he had to get it planned out, and he asked me again. He said "if you go, I’ll pay half of it." It was his birthday. I was like "all right, sure."

Favorite musician who’s inspired you?

There [are] so many different inspirations because I’m a guitar player first and so, I mean, it started off like Angus Young from AC/DC then Jimi Hendrix and then Stevie Ray Vaughan and then it got to some Sting and Phil Collins. And then, you know, Dave Matthews, so it just kind of changes.

Favorite fast food to eat while you’re on the road?

Chick-fil-A. I love the spicy chicken sandwich with Polynesian sauce. Get you some Polynesian sauce and Chick-Fil-A sauce, and get the fries and dip it in both - and it’s just so delicious. And the Oreo milkshake or the cookies and creme milkshake. I could just go on and on about food!

What’s your favorite food of all time?

Honestly, any kind of chicken. That’s been one of my favorite foods since I was a kid. I’ll eat it fried, grilled, with cheese on top of it, baked, or whatever it is. I just love chicken.

Favorite guilty pleasure?

I don’t know. I just like to watch TV shows when I’m alone. I love to go to the movies by myself sometimes too. I just like to go by myself so you don’t have to worry about anybody like [saying] "I don’t want to be here." So yeah, I like to go by myself.

Favorite song to belt out when you’re alone in the shower or in the car?

"Roar" by Katy Perry. I love that one. It’s a good song. It makes me just feel invincible.

I like Galaga. It’s an older game. Like it was for Atari and stuff, but it shoots ships and whatnot. I just got "A Hundred Balls," which is pretty fun - that’s the name of the game!

Favorite sport to watch?

College football.

Who’s your team?

Georgia Bulldogs. Got to go to one game last year. It was a lot of fun.

Favorite TV show?

"Breaking Bad" was; I finished it. And "Dexter" was pretty awesome. I’m starting some new ones, "Six Feet Under," and I’m gonna start "True Detective" and "House of Cards." And I love "Walking Dead." "Walking Dead" is definitely one of my favorites.

Favorite movie?

That’s too tough. I love movies. Leonardo DiCaprio is one of my favorite actors. I love so many of his movies. Basketball Diaries I really loved. It’s one of his older movies.

Favorite thing to do with friends?

We just like to chill, maybe have a beer or something, but just kind of relax.

Favorite artist you’ve worked with so far?

Wow, I don’t know. Rob Thomas was a lot of fun touring with, Matchbox Twenty. John Mayer was great.

Favorite fan moment, or a gift you’ve received from a fan?

I remember one time I was on stage and somebody threw these panties up on stage, but they weren’t like; they couldn’t have been wearing the panties because it was just weird looking. I don’t know how to explain it. They were very shiny and just didn’t look normal, and it had "Heartbreaker" on it. So we were just, we were jamming on this little riff and then I start riffing, I started like just singing like these words off the top of my head, and I just kind of joked on it. It was pretty funny. That wasn’t really a gift, but that was a moment I’ll remember.